Cello Android 7 Smart TV

[Murphyv310]

Hi.
I recently bought one of the above from CPC. I wanted to buy a set at least assembled in the UK. I have to say it was not a good purchase. The screen illumination is patchy around its edges, the Android system regularly crashes and for a set with a HD Tuner the picture is no better than SD. I've updated the software etc to no avail. From what I've read and seen I'm not alone with this. Cello themselves were unhelpful and not well trained. So it's one set I wouldn't recommend.

[Mike Watterson]

Android is a really stupid OS for a TV.
Sony used to do a decent GUI and then switched to Android TV. By default it sends data to Google and "Samba" and you couldn't tune at initial install without accepting Googles terms and conditions. Then it got a GDPR update where you could opt out (fail, as under GDPR the option should be by default opted out!).
Solution though is to not connect to WiFi or Ethernet, but Android TV is a very badly designed GUI for a TV. It would suit a 24" TV viewed sitting at a desk!
I think Panasonic still do models without Android. I expect Google pays people to use Android on TVs as there is no other logical reason for an established TV maker to use such a poor GUI obviously tested by people with perfect eyesight sitting at a desk. Also the Menu on Android TV puts applications and adverts before the input sources or TV channels. It's particularly poor to sort channels and find them, especially on TVs with Satellite Tuners and even more so if there is 4 way Diseq (supported).
It's like TV reception is an afterthought after Apps. Also browsing a USB HDD or memory stick of photos or videos is a horror on Android TV compared to the Panasonic as it reads the entire device first and hides the directory structure. Took 5 minutes on one HDD of photos. 10 sec on the Panasonic.

Best to buy decent TV with a Korean panel and assembled in China. Also true backlights, not cheap edge illumination.

[Murphyv310]

Hi Michael.
I agree with what you say. It's a pity that we still have to buy from the far east to get something that works properly. I've hooked up a Roku box to it and it's faultless with the exception of picture quality. It'll do in the meantime.

[peter scott]

Panasonic may be OK but I bought a supposedly smart SONY TV a few years back. It's virtually impossible to view anything on the web and it's incredibly slow and awkward for its own internet functionality which is far from general purpose. They may have improved but be very sceptical.

Peter